NEW YORK, July 11: Two-time Olympic gold medallist Haile Gebrselassie will compete in New York city for the first time in next month's half-marathon. The 34-year-old Ethiopian, who has only run three times in the United States, will compete on Aug. 5 in the race from Central Park through Times Square to Battery Park.

Gebrselassie won Olympic gold medals in the 10,000 meters at Atlanta in 1996 and in Sydney in 2000. He has won all eight half-marathons he's entered, including the 2001 world half-marathon championship in Bristol, England.

“I'm so happy to run my first half-marathon in the Big Apple next month,” Gebrselassie said on Tuesday while training in Ethiopia. “I'm sure I will like the race and the atmosphere. Who knows which races in New York might follow in the future?”

Gebrselassie, who won four world titles at 10,000 meters, has also won three marathons. —AP